Summary Goodyear blimps became popular advertising tools, kicking off in the 1920s. The blimps added illuminated signs in the 1930s to enhance their appeal. They gained fame for covering sporting events and movies, evolving into iconic US symbols.
During the Roaring '20s, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company sought a way to expand its business. At the time, flying circuses were all the rage, with Barnstormers showing off their aerobatic skills throughout the United States. Besides newspapers, billboards along the roadside and banner-towing planes were the only way to inform people about your product.
The USS Shenandoah only had a short career but started the age of the Navy operating giant airships. Looking to advertise with the popular flying circuses, Akron, Ohio-headquartered Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company decided to build a fleet of airships (or dirigibles) for advertising purposes. At the same time as Goodyear was manufacturing its airships, lighter-than-air vehicles, the military was looking at ways to use them.
The Goodyear blimps made its maiden flight in 1925 Goodyear's first civilian blimp was the " Goodyear Type AD," which the company named Pilgrim. It made its maiden flight in Akron, Ohio, on June 3, 1925. At first, Goodyear had planned to use the airship for sightseeing cruises but then discovered that it was the perfect advertising tool for significant outdoor events.
Using helium gas as a lifting agent, the Type AD was a conventional design with a gondola lar.